Odoacer solidus struck in name of Zeno. This coin testifies formal submission of Odoacer to Zeno.

Painting of Odoacer meeting St. Severinus of Noricum

Portrait of Odoacer from a coin

Odoacer (435–493), also known as Odovacar (Germanic Audawakrs, meaning watchful of wealth), was King of Italy (476-493), and deposed the last Western Roman Emperor. Image File history File links Solidus-Odoacer-ZenoRIC_3657cf. ... Image File history File links Solidus-Odoacer-ZenoRIC_3657cf. ... Julian solidus, ca. ... Zeno on a coin celebrating his victories. ... Image File history File links O276223a. ... Image File history File links O276223a. ... Image File history File links 3ODO5. ... Image File history File links 3ODO5. ... Events August 3 - Nestorius is exiled by Imperial edict to a monastery in a Sahara oasis. ... Events February 25 - Odoacer agrees to a mediated peace with Theodoric the Great, and is later killed by him personally. ... King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers after the fall of the Roman Empire. ... Events August - The usurper Basiliscus is deposed and Zeno is restored as Eastern Roman Emperor. ... The Western Roman Empire is the name given to the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian. ...

Early life

Odoacer was the son of the Scirian chieftain Edeko, who was a Germanic vassal chieftain at the court of Attila. All the Germanic vassals of the Huns broke free after the Battle of Nedao in 454, where the Germanic vassals (Gepids, Ostrogoths, Scirians, Herules and Rugians) unleashed a crushing defeat against the Huns and Alans. After this battle, the Scirians split up. Parts joined the Visigoths, other parts joined the Ostrogoths and the rest of the Scirians united with a part of the Herules and became a foederati of the Western Roman Empire. The foederati was send to Gaul. Odoacer, was a regular warrior in the foederati, but as the son of Edeko, always remained a nobleman among the Scirii. The foederati was pulled out of Gaul and send to Italy by Ricimer under the rule of Anthemius in 466. Scirians (cf. ... For other uses, see Attila (disambiguation). ... The Huns were a confederation of Eurasian tribes, most likely of diverse origin with a Turkic-speaking aristocracy, who appeared in Europe in the 4th century, the most famous being Attila. ... The Battle of Nedao, the Nedava, a tributary of the Sava, was a battle fought in Pannonia in 454. ... The Visigoths, originally Tervingi, or Vesi (the noble ones), one of the two main branches of the Goths (of which the Ostrogothi were the other), were one of the loosely-termed Germanic peoples that disturbed the late Roman Empire. ... This article deals with the continental Ostrogoths. ... Foederatus early in the history of the Roman Republic identified one of the tribes bound by treaty (foedus), who were neither Roman colonies nor had they been granted Roman citizenship (civitas) but were expected to provide a contingent of fighting men when trouble arose. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC For Gaul after the Roman conquest, see Roman Gaul Gaul (Latin Gallia) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the... Scirians (cf. ... Ricimer monogram on the reverse of this coin by Libius Severus. ... Procopius Anthemius (c. ...

Leader of the foederati

In 470, Odoacer was appointed leader of the foederati. In 475, Orestes was appointed Magister militum and Patricius by Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos. This proved to be a mistake on the part of Nepos. Orestes was therefore made head of the Germanic Foederati of Italy (the Scirian - Herulic foederati). Orestes promised the foederati a third of the Italic Peninsula if they led the revolt against Emperor Nepos. The foederati were 30,000 strong (plus families). They had lived on the Italic Peninsula for several years at this point, but had only received scraps of land in relatively unfertile areas around the Apennine mountains. So the offer of Orestes to give them a third of the whole Peninsula seemed very lucrative. The foederati led the revolt as planned and defeated Nepos on August 28, 475. Emperor Julius Nepos fled to Dalmatia, where he would continue to reign until his assassination in 480. With the emperor far away, Orestes elevated his 15 year old son Romulus to the rank of Augustus, so that the last Western Roman emperor is known as Romulus Augustulus. Orestes, as Magister Militum, organised his own army. Behind the safety of his army, Orestes rescinded his pledge to the foederati. As a result, the foederati revolted and defeated Orestes. Odoacer was the leader of the revolt against Orestes. Orestes was captured and executed. After the revolt, the Germanic foederati, the Scirians and the Herules, as well as a large segment of the Italic Roman army, proclaimed Odoacer rex Italiae ("king of Italy"). In 476, Odoacer advanced to Ravenna, capturing the city and the young emperor. Romulus was compelled to abdicate on September 4, 476. In the same year Odoacer renounced the meaningless title of Emperor, which was a wise move that avoided a conflict with Constantinople. He sent the Imperial Insignia to the Eastern Emperor Zeno and declared himself Patrician of the Western Half (which, by this time, was no more than the Italian Peninsula). Odoacer was then confirmed as rex Italiae by Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno later in 476. The rightful West Roman Emperor Julius Nepos remained in exile in Dalmatia and was powerless. Orestes Ορεστης is a Greek name, literally he who stands on the mountain, or mountain-dweller. Orestes can refer to: In Greek mythology, the son of Agamemnon. ... Julius Nepos on a coin. ... The Apennine Mountains (Greek: Απεννινος; Latin: Appenninus--in both cases used in the singular; Italian: Appennini) is a mountain range stretching 1000 km from the north to the south of Italy along its east coast, traversing the entire peninsula, and forming, as it were, the backbone of the country. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... Julius Nepos on a coin. ... Romulus Augustus (460s/470s - after 511) was the last of the Western Roman Emperors. ... Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. ... September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... Map of Constantinople. ... ... Zeno may mean: a person Zeno (emperor) (c. ... Zeno may mean: a person Zeno (emperor) (c. ... Map of Croatia with Dalmatia highlighted Dalmatia (Croatian: Dalmacija Serbian: Далмација) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, in modern Croatia, spreading between the island of Rab in the northwest and the Gulf of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) in the southeast. ...

King of Italy

In 476, Odoacer, officially became the first Germanic King of Italy and a new era began. Odoacer was an Arian Christian and is said to have been illiterate. The warriors and the families in Odoacer's foederati received lands in Italy and became beneficiaries of a special tax policy. Odoacer retained the Roman administration, senate, law and tax system of Italy intact. In return, he won a high level of support from the senate and people. King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers after the fall of the Roman Empire. ...

A German Map showing the Kingdom of Odoacer in Dark Yellow

Odoacer raised an Italic-Germanic army with which he defeated the Vandals in Sicily. He was able to conquer the whole island by 477. In 480, he and his Italic-Germanic army conquered all of ancient Dalmatia. After this, he received the right to appoint a council and to issue his own coinage. He made pacts with the Visigoths and Franks and joined them in battle against the Burgundians, Alamanni and Saxons. Image File history File linksMetadata Landkarte2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Landkarte2. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... Map of Croatia with Dalmatia highlighted Dalmatia (Croatian: Dalmacija Serbian: Далмација) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, in modern Croatia, spreading between the island of Rab in the northwest and the Gulf of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) in the southeast. ... The Visigoths, originally Tervingi, or Vesi (the noble ones), one of the two main branches of the Goths (of which the Ostrogothi were the other), were one of the loosely-termed Germanic peoples that disturbed the late Roman Empire. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... The Burgundians or Burgundes were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr (the Island of the Burgundians), and from here to mainland Europe. ... The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were an alliance of warbands formed from Germanic tribes, first mentioned by Dio Cassius when they fought Caracalla in 213. ... Map showing the Saxons homeland in traditional region bounded by the three rivers: Weser, Eider, and Elbe Src: Freemans Historical Geographys. The Saxons or Saxon people are (nowadays) part of the German people with its main areas of settlements in the German States of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Saxony...

As Odoacer's kingdom expanded, his popularity among the Italic people grew, and his pacts with the Franks and Visigoths gave him increased influence. All these things started to worry Zeno, the Eastern Emperor, who increasingly saw Odoacer as a rival. In 487 Odoacer once again commanded his army to victory, this time against the Rugians. Odoacer destroyed the Rugian kingdom that had been established in Noricum, but he did not incorporate it into his own kingdom. The remaining Rugians fled and took refuge with the Ostrogoths. Rugiland was left open and by 493 was settled by the Lombards. In 488, Emperor Zeno started a campaign against Odoacer; this campaign, however, was mostly verbal in nature. Zeno accused Odoacer of playing a major part in the revolt of Illus in 484. With these claims, Zeno convinced his Ostrogothic vassals that Odoacer was an enemy and should be removed. Zeno promised Theoderic son of Amal and his Ostrogoths the Italic Peninsula if they were to defeat and remove Odoacer. In the same year, 488, Theoderic led the Ostrogoths across the Julian Alps and into Italy. The accusation that Odoacer was part of the Illus revolt was a lie, fabricated by Byzantine noblemen, generals and Zeno who wanted the now mighty Odoacer removed.^{[citations needed]} With this scenario, the Byzantines killed two birds with one stone. They removed the Ostrogoths from the Balkans and their border and at the same time conveniently caused Odoacer to disappear from the scene. Zeno may mean: a person Zeno (emperor) (c. ... The Rugians (Latin rugii) were an East Germanic tribe whose ultimate origins have been traced to Rogaland in Norway, whose population probably was the Rugii that Jordanes mentioned as a tribe that still remained in Scandza. ... Noricum in ancient geography was a celtic kingdom in Austria and later a province of the Roman Empire. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ... Tremissis issued by Emperor Zeno. ... Tomb of Theodoric in Ravenna Theodoric the Great (454 - August 30, 526), known to the Romans as Flavius Theodoricus, was king of the East Goths, the Ostrogoths (488-526), ruler of Italy (493-526), and regent of the Visigoths (511-526). ...

Theoderic and his Ostrogoths defeated Odoacer at Aquileia in 488, at Verona in 489, and at the Adda River in 490. In that same year, Theoderic besieged Odoacer at Ravenna. The siege lasted three years and was marked by dozens of attacks on both sides. This massive siege is known as the Battle for Ravenna. In the end, neither side won this battle. On February 2, 493, Theoderic and Odoacer signed a treaty that assured both parties would rule over Italy. A banquet was organised in order to celebrate this treaty. It was at this banquet that Theoderic, after making a toast, killed Odoacer with his own hands. Aquileia (Friulian Aquilee, Slovene Oglej) is an ancient Roman town of Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso (modern Natisone), the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times. ... Country Italy Region Veneto Province Verona (VR) Mayor Paolo Zanotto Elevation 59 m Area 206. ... Adda (anc. ... Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 25 - Odoacer agrees to a mediated peace with Theodoric the Great, and is later killed by him personally. ...

Theoderic became the new king of Italy and established an Ostrogothic kingdom that was ruled from Ravenna. The remainder of Odoacer's foederati joined the Ostrogoths and were allowed to remain in Italy. Many of the fathers of these warriors and a number of the warriors themselves had fought together with the Ostrogoths at the Nedao river in 454.

The events around the Battle of Ravenna were used in the Germanic heroic saga of Dietrich von Bern (Theoderic of Verona). The event in which Theoderic kills Odoacer with his own hands is mirrored ín the saga in the episode in which Dietrich kills the Dwarf King Laurin.